Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Criteria are set down there whereby the constituencies the various representatives come from, and the five members, are determined by HRI and not by the constituencies themselves. When we look at the likes of jockeys and qualified riders, there are people other than stable staff employed in the horse racing industry. What about trade unions? Is there any avenue for somebody from a trade union to get on to the board if the constituency is so rigidly determined by HRI? It depends on the ideological position it adopts or what it tries to pursue or represent and people can be blocked. Constituencies should be determined by the sectors themselves; let them select that person. As a board, HRI will have ultimate control over everything anyway, but it should be flexible and open-minded enough to accept somebody from a constituency determined by the services sector.